Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Thank you GenieJeanie!

I am always learning still, too. I'm excited to be paired with a newer nose, I find much to learn from fresh sniffers. Hard to believe we haven't had you in a group yet, you've fit in so seamlessly here! It's about time! You'll be glad you did this, Malone passes are fun & easy learning. Looking forward to your thoughts on this!

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Happy Sunday, fellow sniffers! Looks like I'm the first one to sample our scent, so welcome to the New Nose Review.

I must admit I was a bit surprised by my first spritz of Blackberry & Bay. Instead of the sweet berry note I anticipated, I was greeted by a big punch of tart juicy grapefruit! It's so very reminiscent of the opening of my Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune mini, but with a light herbal note as if the stem is still attached. As the dry down begins the blackberry note becomes more prominent. It's not the sweet, finger-staining aroma of the soft ripe fruit, but the slightly tart berry, still firm & reaching for it's prime. Upon dry down it settles into a very refreshing but soothing scent. Light citrus, softly herbal & quite wearable in the summer heat. The only letdown is the scent only lasts for about two hours on me, but I did find myself wanting to reapply. I like it!

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

This is a quick one, just to say that package arrived safely! Thank you 30 Roses for this great opportunity! Quick first impressions:

Just as Genie Jeanie I was surprised profoundly with the blast of grapefruit! So far it is grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit and more grapefruit. I will report later as the scent progresses on my skin. But I must say that this grapefruit is very natural smelling, and not as harsh and chemical as in EL Intuition. It is bright and cheerful and I can see why it would be so comforting and uplifting. Still waiting for blackberry...

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Welcome calilove!
Nice to see you again darkdreams!! Nice for us to finally have a full house here.

Originally Posted by Whitefluffy

Just as Genie Jeanie I was surprised profoundly with the blast of grapefruit! So far it is grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit and more grapefruit. I will report later as the scent progresses on my skin. But I must say that this grapefruit is very natural smelling, and not as harsh and chemical as in EL Intuition. It is bright and cheerful and I can see why it would be so comforting and uplifting. Still waiting for blackberry...

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

The generosity was that of the assistant manager who donated the samples-- I hope she has found our thread

It's good to have a full sample to test in this case; Blackberry & Bay is not one of the stronger JM fragrances and you really do need to apply more sprays than you do for, say, Lime, Basil & Mandarin.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Blackberry and Bay.. lemony-citrus tart berry..woody earthy, dark herbal..going to guess that's the bay..a little vanilla on the dry down? More woody notes. Gets a bit sweet as it dries down. Woods are dry...some florals not sure what. Sweet pea? Wondering if there is rose in this...if it's there..it's very light. Thought I picked up a sweet jasmine note.

Berries are under-ripe at first..a tangy, zingy tart blackberry. Woods, bay and something sweet smooth over the berries. Then a mix of light florals come in. A bit masculine. Clearly unisex. This is a light, refreshing scent. Reminds me of more of a splash than a perfume. There's a bit of a green notes going on...not really a grass but a deeper green...like a green note from a violet or iris but don't believe either is in this scent. Perhaps the green is from cassis/blackcurrant? Florals later become more white and clean. Pretty sure I smelled vetiver in there.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Love your review Kalli! I'm definitely learning here. Think that maybe I need to close out other distractions & just really focus on the scent at hand. Time for another spritz to see what else I can notice.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Lol..thanks. Some of those I was somewhat sure of..a couple were guesses, haha. I just was trying to figure out what added that sweetness. Vanilla was a guess...though not sure of that. And florals sometimes are hard for me to detect. Rose is kind of a tough one for me..not sure why..maybe I am a bit anosmic to it a little if it's not an in-your-face rose note. And not sure really if it's in there. Though there is a nice, light mix of florals. Not too floral that would distract from the rest of the composition though. I like that the florals are light and not overpowering..not distracting. A good balance of the notes I think. I don't think I smell vanilla on the dry down and it's usually a base note. Don't know what added the sweetness really.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Kalli I thought about vanilla too, though it is not listed on Fragrantica. I thought I imagined it or there is something else that smells like vanilla. The drydown actually reminded me of Deep Red by Hugo Boss.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Fragrantica, I've noticed, doesn't list all of the notes a good amount of times. Upon reading..lotv was listed..which isn't on Fragrantica..rather it is mentioned on basenotes and other sites. I wouldn't rely solely on Fragrantica.

Genie..it's good to go in blind..to see what you pick up. I think? 30R, what do you think? Then you could go to reviews to see what others smelled or what notes were listed. Kind of comparing..re-sniffing, discovering..

Lotv..I am totally unfamiliar with this note..I didn't pick it up, I normally miss that one.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Seems that I miss a lot of notes right now, because don't know how to discern them. I need a big ol "sniff kit" of notes. But I do know that my nose will determine the slightest molecule of tuberose & say NOOO!

Back on topic.

With a second trial of the Blackberry & Bay I'm having a very different experience. The bay note is a much stronger top note & is trailed by the grapefruit. Maybe I"m subconsciously searching for the bay, as the drydown became my favorite part of the scent. I'm really enjoying this much more than the initial wearing. The grapefruit is definitely there, but comes in with a companion to the mix. I'm liking this much better & find the scent to be very unisex. It's growing on me.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Lol, I feel ya on the tuberose, haha.

Genie Jeanie..at some point maybe you could join in on one of those blind sniffs. They are fun and informative...I learned a bit from that experience-I hope! Lol. Also, places like Surrender to Chance and The Perfumed Court have sample packs focusing on one note. I got a cedar pack off TPC once..though I sure didn't pay 25 dollars for it..they must have raised their prices?

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Sometimes a fragrance makes an immediate impression on me-- an image, a memory-- and in those cases I tend not to try to deconstruct the notes but just enjoy the whole.
Blackberry & Bay took me immediately to a location that I have never seen in person, only in a movie, but I thought, "That is what it would smell like to be there." It was a place of greenery, neglected by the people who owned the land, gone somewhat wild and very restful. (I will keep the location to myself, however; the impression is subjective and would have no meaning for anyone else.)

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Folks,

I was allowed to decant a bit of juice at Anthropologie from the tester of the new Ineke "Floral Curiosities" fragrance, Sweet William, and am going to be starting a new thread for that this afternoon, soon.

Re: Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay Cologne sample pass, USA only

Originally Posted by 30 Roses

Sometimes a fragrance makes an immediate impression on me-- an image, a memory-- and in those cases I tend not to try to deconstruct the notes but just enjoy the whole.

I absolutely agree, many times I feel the same way too. However, very few elicit this kind of response and for that they are even more precious. Blackberry & Bay didn't do it for me, but I did enjoyed it very much today. I still can smell the drydown on my skin 7 hours later.

I can see how it would grow on the wearer with each subsequent wear. I still can't shake Deep Red associations, but BB is much nicer, warmer, and more natural than Deep Red. Second time around I could pick up blackberry right away and along with grapefruit it stayed all the way through the drydown. It is not just pleasant - it is comforting and uplifting in a soulful kind of way. I think that from all Jo Malone's I have tried so far, this one would be my favorite. I really love the balance between fresh and sweet, relaxing and energizing. It's a very good fragrance: maybe not an artful piece, but certainly an example of wearable art.

I also want to thank generous assistant manager, from the bottom of my heart - you are a very kind and smart lady